Delicious: A Novel

Ruth Riechl’s Delicious! is a nice summer read told to us by Billie, a motherless California girl transplanted to New York. Accomplished in many ways in the kitchen (she has killer taste buds), Billie lacks confidence in her own abilities. She arrives to work in the food magazine, but in some ways immediately feels out of her element. Not soon after, she picks up a foodie weekend job becoming deeply involved with the New York family that runs the store where she works. And Billie quickly adds friends from her circle at the magazine, especially when the staff is let go and the magazine shuttered.

Reichl, the former editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, punctuates the action with regular letters from Billie to her sister. Her family life is complicated by her aunt, her stand-in mother, who looks after Billie’s father. The characters in Reichl’s novel are definitely some of the best fed fictional characters you’ll run across! Many of the dishes Reichl depicts for her readers are out-of-this-world unbelievable. Unfortunately, the characters aren’t. Reading this decent novel will make you hungry and looking for a fine meal and wine. Enjoy!